Parking coin depository



April 22, 1952 H. P. COMPTON 2,593,985

PARKING COIN DEPOSITORY Filed April 20, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l ATTORNEYSA ril 22, 1952 H. PL COMPTON PARKING COIN DEPOSITORY 2 SHEETSSHEET 2Filed April 20, 1950 z 8 l m H 9 a z m z 1 v a Q Q 3 M Z 0 M 7 7 /I 6 II m\ P m HE. MM 7. W N Mm 74/ /fi/ /xw/x 2??? J 6 6 7 M z z 1 CompiqnPatented Apr. 22, 1952 UNITED stares rarest oriFIcE Henry Purl Compton,Abilene, Tex., assignor to The Simplex Company, Abilene, Tex.

Application April 20, 1959, Serial No. 157,155

This invention relates to parking meter.

An object of this invention is to provide a parking meter wherein a,coin which is initially deposited will not be exposed until. anauthorized person inserts a key into thedevioe and turns the key in onedirection. Upon return of the key to its original position, release anddropping of the coin into the receiver will be effected.

Another object of this invention is, to provide a parking meter which isso constructed and arranged that in the event the depositor of theinitial coin unparks his vehicle before the end of the time period and asecond vehicle enters the space, a second or any additional coin willbypass the first and not yet released coin and drop into the receiver.In this manner there will not be any jamming of'the mechanism caused bydeposits of additional coins. before the first one has been released. l

A further object of this invention is to provide a parking meter whichis of very simple construction so that it can be produced at relativelylow cost and will not readily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in thearrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in thedrawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detailed front elevation of a parking meter constructedaccording to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 22 ofFigure 3.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation partly in section similar to Figure2, but showing the coin release member in coin exposing position.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line i -5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-5 of Figure2.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 1-! of Figure2.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral Ill designates generally anupright housing which is formed with a cylindrical base H adapted to besecured by fastening means it to a supporting post l2. The housing Illincludes a rear wall I l and upwardly divergent side walls !5 whichmerge into an arcuate top wall 16.

A closure generally designated as H is hingedly secured as at 18a to theupper portion of the cylindrical base i l and comprises a front wall itformed with right angularly disposed and up wardly divergent side wallsl9 having offset flanges 20 adapted to telescope over the sides and thetop wall It. The top wall it is formed with a keeper 2| within which alocking bolt 22 i Claim. (01. 232-4) "adapted to engage, and the lockingbolt 2 2.iis

secured to cylinder lock structure 23 of conven: tional construction.The cylinder lock. structure 23 is secured to the front wall it of theclosure l'1.

The front wall it. of the closure ll is provided with a coin slot 24,and the wall it is outwardly offset as at 25 above the slot 2d so as toprevent water from entering the. slot 2 plate 25 is pivotally mounted ona pivot 23 carried by the inner side of the front wall l8, and the plate26 is disposed at its upper portion in confronting relation to the coinslot 24 and extends downwardly therefrom. The plate 25 is provided'at apoint below the coin slot with an outwardly extending lug 28 which formsa holder to initially support a coin 29. y

The front wall 18 on the inner side thereof is also provided with aprojection 3d having a downwardly and inwardly inclined edge 34 whichforms a guide for the coin when the latter is released by inward rockingof the plate 26. The front wall It is formed with a window 32 at a pointlaterally from the guide 38 for exposing a coin which is released fromthe holder orlug 23. A lower lug 33 is carried by the plate 26 adjacentthe lower end thereof and below the guide 3E]. The lug 33 is adapted tosupport the coin 29 when the latter is in confronting position to thewindow 32 as shown in Figure 4.

The plate 26 is formed with a laterally offset arm 34, and a lug 35projects from the terminal end portion of the arm 34. A second lug 36projects from the plate 26, and a plate locking bolt 37 engages betweenthe two lugs 35 and 35. The bolt 31 is secured to a cylinder lockstructure 38 which is carried by the front wall I8 of the cloure H. AV-shaped spring 39 bears against the inner side of the plate 26, and theapex portion of the spring 39 engages in a V-shapcd flange fill whichprojects from the closure IT.

The inner side of the closure 11 is formed with a rib 42 extendingdownwardly and inwardly from coin slot 24 so as to form a chute 43 withthe adjacent wall IQ of closure ll. The chute 43 is wider than thediameter of a coin so that when the initial coin is held in the dottedposition shown in Figure 2 by lug 28, a second or succeeding coin willupon striking the first coin roll inwardly and laterally by-passing thefirst coin and drop ping into the receiver I I.

A screw 4| secures the apex of the spring 39 within the V-shaped flangeor keeper 48.

In the use and operation of this device, when a single coin is initiallyinserted through the slot 24, this coin drops down between the plate 26andthe inner side of the closure wall [8. The coin 29 will engage thelug 28 which latter will hold the coin in a position above the window32. At stated periods an authorized person will insert a key in the lock38 turning the bolt 31 so as to swing the plate 26. When the plate 26 isswung to the left as viewed in Figure 2, coin 29 will drop downwardlyrolling along inclined edge 3| of guide 30 and striking the lug 33.

The coin 29 will at this time be exposed through the window 32. In orderto remove the key from the lock 38, bolt 31 must be returned to itsnormal upright position shown in full lines in Figure 2, and at thistime plate 26 is swung to the right so that coin 29 may drop downwardlyinto a collector which may be formed in the base i I or at a pointtherebelow.

Assuming that an initial coin 29 is disposed in the meter and thevehicle i removed from the parking area before the end of the parkingperiod when a second coin is inserted through the slot 24, this secondcoin will strike the first coin 29 which is held by lug 28 in thenon-exposed position. The second coin will thereupon bypass the lug 28passing downwardly to the left of this lug and then dropping down pastthe inoperative lug 33 into the receiver.

When the bolt 31 is turned at the end of the parking period, the initialcoin 29. will become exposed through the window 32 so that the oiliceror authorized person will know that a proper coin has been deposited foruse of the parking space.

With a meter as hereinbefore described where a number of vehicles entera parking space within a'single parking time or period, the succeedingcoins which are inserted into the meter will all bypass the firstdeposited coin.

What is claimed is:

In a parking meter having an upright housing formed with a hollow base,and a closure hinged to said housing and formed with a coin slot with acoin guiding and releasing plate pivotally car- 4 ried by the inner sideof said closure and extending downwardly therefrom; means for stacking aplurality of coins and releasing said coins individually, comprising acoin supporting lug carried by said plate below said slot adapted in thenormal position of said plate to cooperate with an adjacent portion ofsaid closure in holding an initial coin against dropping into said base,an inner downwardly extending rib carried by said closure forming aby-pass chute, a downwardly and inwardly inclined guide fixed to saidclosure below said lug and adapted upon engagement of a released coin toeffect inward movement thereof, said closure having a coin exposingwindow adjacent said guide, a second lug carried by the lower portion ofsaid plate adapted upon inward rocking of said plate to support a coinreleased from said first lug in confronting position to said window,outward rocking of said plate to normal position efiecting release ofthe coin engaged with said second lug whereby the coin will drop intosaid base, said first lug being so positioned that when a coin isengaged therewith and a second coin is inserted in said slot, saidsecond coin will strike said first coin and roll inwardly and downwardlyto thereby bypass both of said lugs and drop into said base, and keyactuated means for rocking said plate.

HENRY PURL COMPTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,267,576 Rhodes Dec. 23, 19412,431,229 Compton Nov. 18, 1947 2,509,480 Compton May 30, 1950

